Do you ever think about it? My dad lived a few days short of 86 years. I turned 60, last fall. So I'm thinking if I got his genes, possibly another 26. He treated himself better than I have, myself. So, maybe not that long. Not obsessed with it, just wondering if other folks wonder, too. Just wondering what some of the regulars here think.

It's incredibly freeing.

Turning 50 was what finally brought home the reality of my own mortality - we all actually do grow old and we all will die, every single one of us. Took about 7 years to get over that and the journey was not pleasant but coming out of the other side, life is better than ever.

The lesson of death is that every day is precious. Live in every moment, not yesterday and not tomorrow, but now. You hear that when you're young but it doesn't mean anything, death is an abstraction, not a reality.

When it becomes an impending reality most folks do one of two things - fight it and hate it and be miserable the rest of their short little lives or embrace it, love it and live like you never lived before. Not like go crazy and buy a red sports car and get a 23 year old girlfriend (although there's not a thing wrong with that ), but savor everything - the drive to work, a cup of coffee, new buds on the trees - everything.

The choice is up to you.

Amen Jim !

Once I lost both parents in 2006 and 2007 the thought of my mortality is an everyday thought for me. Wish it wasn't but it is...56 now and plan on hanging around as long as I can.

Need photos of the 23 year old. Car too while you're at it.

Jim you nailed it. most people think about living long, and then forget about living.

Had the 23 year old girlfriend when I turned 51. It was mighty fun but I have to admit that staying "up" until 2:00 AM was kind of exhausting.

Instead of a sports car I got this a couple of months ago:





Wheeeee!!!!!

Well said.

For a while it bugged the heck out of me. Did I do enough? Did I care enough? But lately, I enjoy what you say in your last paragraph. There isn't time enough to be miserable. Every day is truly a gift. And you're right. You can't understand that when you are young. And I guess, you shouldn't.
No 23 year olds in mind for this old, pudgy bastid. Very happy with my Bride of 40 years.

great grandmother was 114 when she passed in 1977.

dad went at 73 ,his family from 50 -80

mom at 3 months short of 100 her family 80-100

so where does that put me , 68 in 3 days, feel like I can do another 25-30 , i'll see what the Lord says.

norm

p/s I have worn out 5 gardian Angles ya think there might be 4 more

I used to delude myself, thinking I had the best of both parents strong qualities.
I know better now.
I thank the Good Lord for modern medicine.

Like you, I'm hoping I inherited my own Dads' genes. He's nearly 74 and I just had a phone conversation with him this evening where he mentioned going through a lot of firewood this year and was going to drop a few trees on his place and also split some big oak butts he hadn't gotten around to yet because they were too big to fit on his hydraulic splitter, so he's planning to hand split them into smaller, more manageable chunks.

The man doesn't have a furnace in his house, is in his 70's and doesn't bat an eye about cutting wood every year to heat it.

Oh, I love hearing that. He sounds like a tough bird. God Bless him.

Excellent choice !

I pray to do many things at the age I am, and that I wil be able to see my kids and family saved.

. Amen and well said I echo your statement

Biggest thing about aging has been the shock when I look in the mirror. I was one of those people who always looked younger than their age, now the pretty young things at the haircutting place all give me the senior discount, nine years ahead of my time

Don't anyone take this out of context but the last high school girl to have a serious crush on me was about six years ago when I was fifty. Pretty flattering to one's ego to have a pretty seventeen year old going out of her way to spend time in your presence. Surprising because that one was secure and well-raised with two parents, usually its the ones without fathers that get crushes on old guys.

She came to see me after school last year while home from college, showed up in full flirt mode yet. That lasted about thirty seconds, I could see in her eyes "My God! What was I thinking?".

<"sigh">

Being a natural pessimist I've sorta gone through life expecting to die anyway and the only real difference inside my own head recently has been the concept of doing things now "while I still can". Me and a dog we bought when I was 55 have about the same life expectancy, that got my attention. Down to a dog's span of years the question becomes "what do I do with it?" or "how can I do the most good with the time I have left?".

That and, not including wisdom teeth (all gone)I've lost two teeth now, right next to each other on one side. We outlive our teeth and our knees. My knees are still mostly functional at this writing, but recalling the long, slow decline of my teeth over the years I'm wondering how long I'll get to keep those I have left. The thought of dentures ain't appealing and the alternative is expensive. A necessary expense I suppose.

Birdwatcher

Mom is 96 and still going strong. Dad came from a family of 8 kids. All but one topped 85 and Dad died at 92. So, we have some old genes on both sides. However, my brother died of a stroke at 65 so there's no guarantee.

Mike, You've lost two teeth and are already talking about dentures? Man alive! I only have about 8-9 teeth on the bottom and almost all on the top and I've never considered dentures. Grits don't take much chewin'.

I lost both parents to cancer in the 70's. They were in their 50's and I had just turned 30 at the time. It made a big impression and I sort of took it for granted that my lifeline may be similar. I'm nearly 70 now and in very good health, not counting the Rotor Cuff surgery Ill be having pretty soon. The point is, keep on keeping on. Do the best you can to take care of your self and play the cards your delt. Enjoy the game. We are all in this together.

Great post, Jim! I didn't notice it so much at 50 (my kids were still in college, I didn't have any sense of mortality... just the sense that I had to work my ass off to pay tuition!). But when I turned 60 last month, I definitely got that "freeing" sense. I truly feel like I've reached a milestone, that having survived 60 years and to still be thriving is a godsend and an accomplishment.

My dad is 87, and he's the 2nd-youngest of 6, all of whom are still living (Uncle Bill is 92) and all of them are vigorous, clear of mind, in reasonably good health, live in their own homes, etc. My mom died young of breast cancer, but her 8 siblings all lived well into their 80's. So from a genetic perspective, it looks good for me.

But it's not how long you live that counts... Jim, you nailed it with your last paragraph.

mom's still alive at 80

dad almost made 80 (I could have bankrupted Vegas on those odds in his 30-50's, what a heller)

will be 56 this year

24 years still seems like a good bit of time, but that's how old my daughter is, and lordy she was just a baby yesterday

hope to use my remaining years wisely, putting heart into my work, playing hard and loving those I love deeply.

good pard just turned 70, last weekend, we buried both his folks ashes on the riverbank where our cabins are. It's gonna hurt like hell when we lose Gary, only comfort will be that I won't be that far behind him.

twas indeed a short party we've been invited to, and I still find myself mourning for pards that died long ago and all the experiences they've missed that I've got to enjoy.

each day truly is a gift, but hard to keep focused upon that every minute.

Turning 50 certainly seemed to change my outlook on life.....for the better after I absorbed it.

My Dad had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. They all smoked and drank. They all would eat bacon and eggs,
and all the bad food stuff Doctors now say people should not eat. Each lived well past age 80.
I think genes has a lot to do with how long you live.

Lots of reasons to believe they do.

I was put up for adoption at birth and have absolutely no idea of my biological family's medical history - except the old man must have been one hell of a handsome dude.

All the more reason to savor each day - not a single clue when the last one might be.


Hmmm, now that I think about it, I better go look for another 23 year old. It might actually hasten death, but if there's a better way to go I don't know of it...

Jim in Idaho,

Sherri and I are pretty sure we have rode our scooters on that same road in your photo. And, after not having been on a bike for almost 20 years I had a dual sport very similar to yours. Care to share what stretch of pavement that is? Kinda looks like the hwy from Moscow up to Cour De Alene, one of our favorite rides.

Next medium long ride, here to Lolo Hot Springs MT!

When I went through my divorce a few years ago I also found it flattering how many gals of about 30 were interested in me. Fortunately for me God put an awesome Christian lady (Asphalt Angel here) in my path who was 39 at the time, and almost 40, but still looked and looks like a 20-something swimsuit model.

Yep, very important to savour and enjoy the days. With failing Kidneys this is even more to the forfront of my mind than perhaps most 54 year olds.

Someone here has a quote from Mark Twain as his signature line that says "20 years from now, you will not look back and regret the things that you have done nearly so much as the things that you did not do" I hope I got the quote right.

With that and impending Dyalysis on the near horizon, I signed up to race my mildly hot rodded Harley at the dragstrip Saturday after this. I will be, due to my lousy blood, exhausted and sore as all getout at the end of the day if I even make it to the end of the day but I will be a grinnin and smiling and LIVING while making myself that tired and pain racked. I have a good backup rider and pit/tuning helper for the day for that very reason.

Cool and thought provoking thread here.

I was visiting a relative who is now in an assisted living home.
Women there seemed to out number the men about 10 to 1. Wonder why ?

Micky if i were you i'd hire a hot 20 something yr old to chew my food for me.

That pic is actually looking north on Highway 21 out of Boise, just a few miles north of Lucky Peak dam. It's the start of a great route known as the Lowman-Banks loop which goes along the Payette River. Beautiful scenery down in the river bottoms with lots of really twisty roads to keep things very interesting on a bike.

Yes. Same with the Nursing Home my FIL passed away in. Way more women than men. He made it to 90. Very healthy up until mid 80s. A fall that resulted in a dis-located shoulder, was the start of his decline. I never knew anyone that appreciated the beauty of a sunrise or sunset, like he did. He knew every day of his life, that he was lucky to be a part of what he called "God's World". I feel lucky to have been his good friend for so many years.

I began thinking about this in my late 20's, as I watched both sets of Grandparents succumb to Alzheimer's. If I have to spend the last 10 years of my life in that state, I'd prefer the Lord bring me home sooner. It caused me to make some changes - to begin living as if I weren't invincible. To embrace moderation, before moderation was cool. I still love a jalape�o cheddar burger paired with some well done onion rings, but just not nightly.

I did one of those lifespan calculators earlier in the week, and it claimed I'd be good for 98. I just want to live all of the years I'm given. I've got kids from 10 to 28 years old, so I've got that keeping me young. Or, making me feel older, depending on what kind of friends/girlfriends they bring around�

I try to get out with my buddies regularly. We still compare numbers, but it's not, "How much can you bench, queer?!" These days, it's, "Yeah, but what's your PSA, b!tch!".

And I've been blessed with an amazing wife. Talk about God sending me EXACTLY what I needed. Her motto is, "Every day is a Holiday, and every meal is a banquet." Gratitude is an amazing thing, and a tremendous blessing.

FC

You and your wife know exactly what it's all about.

i installed some flooring for an old couple who lived in trailer home about 15 yrs ago, the job was for home depot. I repaired the floor in the kitchen and dining room,It had particle board I replaced. I installed new linoleum .

She was around 75 and her husband was in his 80s and he had Alzheimer's,they had no children. she asked me to look at the floor in his room and it was rotted around the bed. she had to use a deal that was like a winch to pick him up with to change the bed, i though to myself this floor is going to give way so i told her i'd be back.

came back a couple weeks later and helped her move her husband then i repaired the floor with new 3/4 inch plywood i bought and put in some carpet i had left over from another job. when i was finished she asked me what she owed me, i told her nothing and she replied well home depot must of payed you well enough the first time. i smiled and said bye, but thought to myself that if Alzheimer's will turn your loved one's that bitter, i'd rather eat a bullet.

Just got word today that a good friend of mine has been diagnosed with early dementia. he is roughly twenty years my senior and the father of a good teenage friend of mine back in those days. We became close due to business over the past ten years or so. This news hit me like a sack of bricks. The guy is as sharp as can be. He worked for a local bank doing anything and everything after selling his small publishing company. the bank realized what it had in him and made no bones about the fact that he had a job there for life. Now he has resigned.
Life is short so live it!

A few years ago I read a book titled "The Brain that Changes Itself" about neuronal plasticity, or how the brain has the ability to rewire itself and create new pathways. Mostly it covered how people with strokes or other organic injuries were able to recover but it also covered other areas.

Basically if you don't use it you lose it. Concentration is the key to a healthy brain but it must be done for a good while at one stretch. Learning a foreign language, reading a book - not just little blurbs - doing sudoku or crossword puzzles, any of these keep the brain healthy. The book basically said that with regular mental workouts there is no reason a person in their 80's can't have the mind of a 50 year old. Having had the mind of a 50 year old I'm not sure that's something to brag about...

Also, TV literally, physically rots your brain, so your parents were right, they weren't just nagging you. The quick scene changes and POV changes are too much for our brains to handle and it physically breaks down neuronal pathways instead of building them.

So turn off the TV and go outside and play, build something, read a book or work a puzzle. It doesn't guarantee you won't lose your mind but if you do at least you'll remember where you put it.

I'll be 78 in a couple of months. Each year I am now in a quandary when filling out my application for game tags as to whether I have to worry about protecting my position in the draws for the following year.

I am thankful for a son-in-law who carries a lot of the weight for me in the heavy lifting department when we are away on our hunting trips.

Like others here have said, the only thing that really scares me is the possibility of Alzheimers. Not sure what alternative I would choose if I was diagnosed with that.

Jim

you know Roger, she may not have appreciated your kindness


but I sure as hell do


that's nice form sir, nice form indeed

kudos to you for helping an old couple out like that

looks to be pretty sage advice there Jim

can't see where TV is very beneficial to good living, no matter one's age. but that's just how i see it

tommy - Started getting out of bed 30 - 40 min before I need to. Just so I can watch the sunrise. GREAT way to start the day. Thanks for posting this.